did his two sons, leaving his widow Naomi and two widowed daughters-in-law. There was a man referred to in the Bible as “So-and-so” who was a close relative of Elimelech, perhaps a brother. This one, being nearest of kin, was the one called the go·ʼelʹ or the repurchaser. This one refused to carry out his duty, drawing off his sandal, leaving Boaz the next nearest of kin with the right of repurchase. Boaz then bought Elimelech’s land and thereby took Naomi, but since she was too old for childbearing, the widowed daughter-in-law Ruth was actually the one becoming the wife to Boaz to raise up a child to the name of Elimelech. When the child Obed was born, neighbor ladies said: “A son has been born to Naomi,” considering the child the son of Elimelech and Naomi. Boaz and Ruth performed a service to Jehovah, the name given to their son meaning “servant.” Jehovah blessed this arrangement, for Obed became the ancestor of David and was, therefore, in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ.—Ruth chap. 4.

The right of levirate marriage evidently descended to the nearest male relative as outlined in the law governing inheritance of property, namely, the oldest brother, other brothers according to age, then the paternal uncle, and so forth. (Num. 27:5-11) In the reference made to brother-in-law marriage at Matthew 22:23-28 and Luke 20:27-33, it is indicated that the duty to marry the childless man’s widow would pass from one brother to the next in the event of their successive deaths. Another brother evidently could not run ahead of the older brother, who had the prior obligation, unless the older brother refused to exercise it.

The Sadducees interpreted brother-in-law marriage to apply only to betrothed virgins, but the Pharisees held to the view that it applied to widows. In the account in the book of Ruth, Naomi was actually a widow who had borne two sons. These had both died, leaving no one to inherit.

BROWN

See COLORS.

BUILDER, BUILDING

Jehovah God as Creator of all things is the Builder par excellence. (Heb. 3:4; Job 38:4-6) His Word the Logos, who became Jesus Christ, is the Master Worker that he used in creating all things. (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:13-16; Prov. 8:30) Man cannot create, but must build with materials already existent. The ability to plan, to manufacture instruments and to build was planted in man at his creation and was manifested early in human history.—Gen. 1:26; 4:20-22.

Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, is the first man mentioned in the Bible as the builder of a city, giving it the name of his son Enoch. (Gen. 4:17) Noah was the builder of an ark, the pattern of which was given to him by Jehovah. Resinous wood was the material used for this ark of three stories, which was covered inside and outside with tar. (Gen. 6:14-16; see ARK No. 1.) Nimrod, a “mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah,” was the builder of several cities, namely, Babel, Erech, Accad, Calneh and also Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen.—Gen. 10:9-12.

When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt they built cities as storage places for Pharaoh, namely, Pithom and Raamses. (Ex. 1:11) When they were led by Jehovah into the Promised Land they there found cities that had been built by the Canaanite inhabitants. Many of these cities with their houses were taken and used by the Israelites.—Deut. 6:10, 11.

Moses supervised the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness, with all its utensils, the pattern being divinely provided. (Ex. 25:9) Taking the lead in the fabrication and construction were Bezalel and Oholiab, whose abilities were accentuated by God’s holy spirit so that the finished work was done exactly as God had commanded Moses.—Ex. 25:40; 35:30-36:1.

After David took the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites he did considerable building there, including a house for himself. (2 Sam. 5:9-11) His son Solomon was a builder of renown, the temple of Jehovah being his foremost project. The architectural plans for this temple had been given to David by inspiration. (1 Chron. 28:11, 12) David had gathered much of the material for the temple building, gold, silver, copper, iron, timbers, stones and precious stones, contributed by the people and also from David’s own funds. (1 Chron. 22:14-16; 29:2-8) Hiram, king of Tyre, acted toward Solomon as he had toward David by supplying materials, particularly cedar and juniper timbers, as well as supplying many workmen. (1 Ki. 5:7-10, 18; 2 Chron. 2:3) King Hiram also sent a man named Hiram (Hiram-abi), son of a Tyrian man and an Israelite woman, a very skilled worker in gold, silver, copper, iron, stones, timbers and fabrics.—1 Ki. 7:13, 14; 2 Chron. 2:13, 14.

Solomon did other extensive building works, including a house for himself as well as the House of the Forest of Lebanon, the Porch of Pillars and the Porch of the Throne. The building of the temple and other governmental buildings occupied twenty years. (1 Ki. 6:1; 7:1, 2, 6, 7; 9:10) Following this, Solomon embarked on a nationwide building program, including Gezer and Lower Beth-horon, Baalath and Tamar (Tadmor) in the wilderness, along with storage cities, chariot cities and cities for the horsemen. (1 Ki. 9:17-19) Excavations in Palestine, particularly at Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer, have uncovered city gates and fortifications that archaeologists attribute to Solomon.

A notable builder among the kings of Israel and Judah was Solomon’s son Rehoboam. His works included the rebuilding of Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. Rehoboam also reinforced and provisioned the fortified places. (2 Chron. 11:5-11) Other builders were King Baasha of Israel, who “began to build Ramah”; King Asa of Judah, building at Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah; Hiel the Bethelite, who rebuilt ruined Jericho at the forfeit of Abiram his firstborn at the laying of its foundation, and of Segub his youngest son at the putting up of the doors, in fulfillment of Joshua’s prophecy (1 Ki. 15:17, 22; 16:34; Josh. 6:26); and King Ahab of Israel, who constructed a house of ivory, besides several cities. (1 Ki. 22:39) Some archaeologists believe that the heavy fortifications and the constructions at Megiddo, formerly thought to be Solomon’s stables, actually belonged to Ahab, whose rule began about fifty-seven years after Solomon’s death. Building works uncovered in the stratum below these are now considered to be Solomon’s fortifications.

King Uzziah of Judah was an extensive builder. (2 Chron. 26:9, 10) Uzziah displayed evidence of military genius in fortifying Jerusalem with “engines of war, the invention of engineers.” (2 Chron. 26:15) Scenes of wall reliefs depicting Sennacherib’s assault on Lachish show special kinds of fortifications on the towers, attributed by archaeologists to Uzziah.

Jotham did a great deal of building. (2 Chron. 27:3, 4) And Hezekiah did considerable fortifying of Jerusalem, in connection with which he dug a water tunnel from the spring of Gihon to bring water inside the city. (2 Chron. 32:2-5, 30) This water tunnel can still be viewed by visitors to Jerusalem.—See the names of the kings under their respective headings.

After the exile, Zerubbabel traveled from Babylon with a company of nearly 50,000 persons and began the rebuilding of the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem. It was completed in the year 516 B.C.E. Later, in 455 B.C.E., Nehemiah came from Shushan to rebuild the wall of the city.—Ezra 2:1, 2, 64, 65; 6:15; Neh. 6:1; 7:1.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is known mainly for his military exploits. Nonetheless, he was a great builder. Though he never built a temple to Jehovah, at Babylon he built fifty-four temples to false gods. He was also a notable builder of public works. His inscriptions concern themselves not with his military exploits but with his building projects, including temples, palaces, streets, embankments and walls. He made Babylon the wonder city of the ancient world, and in all of Babylonia no building compared with the famous hanging gardens that King Nebuchadnezzar built to satisfy the homesick longings of his Median queen. Those gardens were rated as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

King Herod the Great rebuilt the second temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem. Because of the distrust of the Jews, he was compelled to bring the materials in first, then to raze the second temple piecemeal as he constructed the new one. For this reason and for dislike of Herod, the Jews do not consider it the third temple, although it is often designated as such by others. By the year 30 C.E. reconstruction in the temple area had been under way for forty-six years (John 2:20), and it continued for many more years. Herod also built an artificial harbor city, Caesarea, rebuilt Samaria and carried on other vast building projects within Palestine and in other lands.

Jesus, when on earth, was in the building trade, being referred to as a “carpenter.”—Mark 6:3.

Building materials used in Bible times were earth, wood of various sorts, stone, precious stones, metals fabrics, plaster, mortar, bitumen whitewash made of lime, coloring for decorating wood and dyes for fabrics. At times bricks were painted or enameled.

A number of building tools and instruments are mentioned in the Bible, including the ax (Deut. 19:5), hammer (Judg. 4:21), forge hammer and anvil, nails and a soldering or joining process (Isa. 41:7), saw (Isa. 10:15), stone-saw (1 Ki. 7:9), measuring line or rope (Zech. 1:16; 2:1), measuring reed (Ezek. 40:3; Rev. 21:15), plummet (Amos 7:7, 8; Zech. 4:9, 10), leveling instrument (2 Ki. 21:13; Isa. 28:17), wood scraper and compass (Isa. 44:13), billhook (Isa. 44:12; Jer. 10:3), chisel (Ex. 20:25) and scales.—Isa. 40:12.

FIGURATIVE USAGE

The Christian congregation is considered a house or temple built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the foundation cornerstone. It is called “God’s building,” “a place for God to inhabit by spirit.” (1 Cor. 3:9; Eph. 2:20-22) Jesus applied the fulfillment of Psalm 118:22 to himself, as being the “stone” that the Jewish religious leaders and their followers, as “builders,” rejected. (Matt. 21:42; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7) The individual members of the congregation are spoken of as “living stones.” (1 Pet. 2:5) The congregation, also known as the bride of Jesus Christ, is pictured as a city, the New Jerusalem. (Rev. 21:2, 9-21) At Hebrews 11:10, 16, Jehovah is called the builder of this city.

Jesus likened his hearers to two kinds of builders, one of which built his personality and way of life on the rock-mass of obedience to Christ and was, therefore, able to withstand the storms of opposition and tribulation. The other, building on sand, was unable to stand when pressure came. (Matt. 7:24-27) Building of Christian personalities in others also is discussed by the apostle Paul, a “director of works.” (1 Cor. 3:10-15) On one occasion Jesus said to the Jews: “Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) The Jews thought he was speaking of the temple of Herod and used this against him at his trial, witnesses against him saying: “We heard him say, ‘I will throw down this temple that was made with hands and in three days I will build another not made with hands.’” (Mark 14:58) Jesus was using figurative speech, referring to the “temple of his body.” He was put to death and on the third day rose again. (John 2:21; Matt. 16:21; Luke 24:7, 21, 46) He was resurrected by his Father Jehovah God in another body not made with hands like the temple of Jerusalem, but a spirit body made (built) by his Father. (Acts 2:24; 1 Pet. 3:18) This usage of building as applied to one’s body is not unique, for, speaking of Eve’s creation, it was said: “And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman.”—Gen. 2:22.

Jesus Christ foretold that in the “last days” people would be involved in building operations and other activities of life, oblivious of the real meaning of the times, just as they were in the days of Lot, and that destruction would come upon them unawares in the midst of these activities.—Luke 17:28-30; see ARCHITECTURE; BRICK; FORTIFICATIONS.

BUKKI

(Bukʹki) [shortened form of Bukkiah, “proved of Jah”].

1. A chieftain from the tribe of Dan whom Jehovah appointed to assist with the tribal division of the Promised Land. Son of Jogli.—Num. 34:16-18, 22.

2. Descendant of Aaron through Eleazar and Phinehas, and ancestor of the skilled copyist Ezra. (1 Chron. 6:4, 5, 50, 51; Ezra 7:1-6) He may have served as high priest sometime during the period of the judges.

BUKKIAH

(Buk·kiʹah) [proved of Jah].

Son of Heman of the tribe of Levi. Bukkiah was chosen by lot to head the sixth of twenty-four musician groups that David organized for service at Jehovah’s sanctuary. He with his sons and brothers assisting him totaled twelve.—1 Chron. 25:1, 4, 9, 13, 31.

BUL

The eighth lunar month of the sacred calendar of the Israelites corresponding to the second month of the secular calendar. (1 Ki. 6:37, 38; Gen. 7:11) It included part of October and part of November. Following the Babylonian exile this month was called Marheshvan or Marchesvan, later abbreviated to Heshvan. These postexilic names do not appear in the Bible but are found in the Jewish Talmud, the writings of Josephus, and other works.

The name “Bul” is generally believed to mean “rain [month],” and it did come at the start of the rainy season in the autumn. (Deut. 11:14; Joel 2:23; Jas. 5:7) It was a month in which the sowing of barley and wheat went on, and in northern Galilee olives were gathered. The shepherds were now bringing their flocks of sheep back in from the open fields to put them under cover during the winter months of cold and rain.

According to Genesis 7:11 and 8:14, the flood of Noah’s day began on the seventeenth day of the “second month,” and by the same month a lunar year and ten days later the earth had dried off. Concerning this, the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, 1825, Book I, chap. III, par. 3) comments: “This calamity happened in the six hundredth year of Noah’s government, in the second month, called by the Macedonians Dius, but by the Hebrews Marchesuan; for so did they order their year in Egypt.” So, the second month in Noah’s time corresponded to the month Bul or Marheshvan.

Following the exodus from Egypt, Bul became the eighth month in the sacred calendar, and it was during this month that Solomon completed the construction of the temple at Jerusalem. (1 Ki 6:38) Jeroboam, the founder of the separatist northern kingdom of Israel, arbitrarily made this month a festival month, as part of his plan to divert the people’s attention from Jerusalem and its feasts.—1 Ki. 12:26, 31-33.

BULBUL

(Bulʹbul) [Heb., ʽa·ghurʹ].

The name of a number of types of medium-sized thrushlike birds found in Africa and southern Asia, including Palestine. The bulbul characteristically has a short neck, short wings and a long tail. The Arabic name for the bulbul corresponds to the Hebrew word ʽa·ghurʹ, at Isaiah 38:14 and Jeremiah 8:7. While many translations